Massive queues at Caulfield on day one of April train pain

Early risers avoided the worst of Melbourne's train pain on Monday morning as April's big rail shutdown began in earnest, but the trouble hit after 8am when commuters faced long queues and traffic delays.

Parts of the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston, Mernda and Gippsland lines closed on Monday, with buses replacing trains, chiefly to allow for construction of the South Yarra entrance to the $11 billion Metro Tunnel.

It was day one of the school holiday Metro Tunnel construction blitz, with sections of those train lines to remain closed for two weeks.

The State Government said on Monday that the alternative arrangements were going to plan on the day but the protest in the CBD by animal rights activists had made delays and congestion worse by slowing down the buses that replaced trains on some lines.

Commuters at Caulfield Station this morning.Credit:Simon Schluter

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Some commuters who heeded warnings and arrived at train stations before 8am had a relatively smooth journey into the city.

But at Caulfield station - where four of the train lines were halted - hundreds of commuters had to get off their city-bound train and, in some cases, wait up to 45 minutes for a bus to take them the rest of the way into the CBD.

Caulfield station on Monday morningCredit:Simon Schluter

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the government had expected the delays at Caulfield.

"What we have seen this morning is an unexpected disruption and these do happen from time to time on the network," the minister said.

"It's frustrating, it's frustrating for people who have already had their journeys disrupted as a result of the transport infrastructure projects to have an additional disruption."

Those long delays prompted the Public Transport Users Association to call for a "thorough review" of the bus replacement program, and for buses to get priority on roads.

Before 8am, many buses at the station sat idle, waiting to be filled by a trickle of commuters.

But passenger numbers exploded after 8.15am, with Public Transport Users Association’s spokesman Daniel Bowen saying the number of buses arriving at the station failed to keep up with the flow of passengers.

"The buses really struggle with large numbers of people and that’s what happens when three major lines converge on Caulfield and all get terminated there," Mr Bowen said.

"You’ve got wall-to-wall people waiting in a tent, and a slow shuffle to the front of a queue. A few buses will turn up, then there are no buses for 10, 15 minutes, then a bunch turn up again.

"People were remarkably tolerant, there was very little complaining that I heard. Everyone was shuffling along, no one was jumping the queue or smoking in the tent; you have to give everyone there 10 points for patience."

Commuters filing out of Caulfied train station on Monday morning to catch a bus.Credit:Simon Schluter

One Age reader arrived at Carnegie station at 7.20am, where a train to Caulfield wasn’t leaving for another 25 minutes. She was told by Metro staff that she would not get on the next few trains, due to overcrowding.

"They told me to turn around and go home because of overcrowding at Caulfield too. I usually don’t even leave the house until 8.20, but I wouldn’t have been able to get to work on time if I left at 7.15am.

"It’s unacceptable in my view. I’m now working from home and will probably have to do so for the remainder of the week."

Commuters are waiting for bus replacements at Caulfield Stations this morning.Credit:Simon Schluter

Commuters also faced delays on the road, with bus rides from Caulfield to the city taking an hour.

Mr Bowen said buses must receive priority on the roads during major shutdowns, and should also transfer commuters to other train lines still in operation, so people were not forced to sit in traffic.

"It’s a bit of a mystery why they haven’t allocated any bus priority on roads."

However, Mr Bowen said PTV's signage was helpful and there were lots of customer services available to assist.

VicRoads has previously said that creating dedicated bus lanes would result in buses sitting in long queues leading up to these lanes.

Buses are receiving priority at traffic lights near train stations and roads linking up with freeways.

It's not the last of the train pain however - sections of the Frankston, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland lines will be closed for more than two weeks to coincide with school holidays during the building blitz.

PTV has promised that buses will come as frequently as trains. During the morning and afternoon peak, 600 buses have been scheduled to ferry 100,000 people between Caulfield and the city.

If you're affected by the disruptions over the next two weeks, tweet us details, photos and videos using the hashtag #trainpain.